At the heart of KAUST’s purpose lies a dedication to merging world-class science education with interdisciplinary exploration, shaping innovators ready to solve global challenges and lead humanity toward a brighter future. NEOM Investment Fund Senior Investment Manager Babar Khan embodies this vision, showcasing how KAUST equips its graduates with creativity, resilience and collaboration skills needed to drive the Kingdom’s transformative projects. 

“For every academic institute, the ones that do really well are the ones that don’t just focus on science and math. They actually expose students to the creative fields, liberal arts and the humanities,” he said about KAUST’s Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), held January 12-23. The KAUST alumnus, who graduated with a Ph.D. in Bioscience in 2018, participated in a panel discussion on “Technology Outliers” during the final day of WEP. 

“What I’ve heard from people at NEOM is that they really admire KAUST students because they come ‘pre-packed’ and ‘pre-installed’ with this resilience software. At NEOM, we’re innovating and doing groundbreaking things, so you need a lot of resilience and a lot of blue-sky thinking — two things common at KAUST.” 

During his presentation, Khan reflected on his own transformative KAUST journey, earning a science Ph.D. while engaging in commercialization efforts and exploring the arts — through programs such as WEP. Now with NEOM, he leverages his biology background to invest in frontier technologies, focusing on biotech and disruptive innovations. Khan identifies and supports cutting-edge ideas with the potential to redefine industries and drive paradigm shifts. 

“When it comes to NEOM, one of the things we do is look at things coming out of the lab — things that are being commercialized but aren’t in the mass market yet,” he said, adding that by focusing on these innovations, NEOM has a chance to “get in early,” help build out these concepts, and commercialize them. Then, once ready, they can be implemented. “Before that, we try to bring it to KAUST to see if we can try it out here.” 

Collaboration matters 

To students at WEP, Khan stressed that innovation often stems from teamwork, and not from isolated thinking. By engaging with people from different fields and perspectives, he said, individuals can discover new ideas and solutions. Early on, it is crucial to connect with others to spark the imagination and make meaningful progress. Innovators thrive through shared dialogue and cross-disciplinary collaboration. To that end, Khan sees extraordinary value in WEP. 

“Ninety percent of the people who join KAUST do so because they have very developed hard skills. They can do the science, engineering and analytics. WEP gives you an opportunity to think about the soft skills you’ll need — like bringing in artists, listening to music and talking to people who are not doing hard science. It broadens your horizons to what’s really going to happen when you leave these walls.” 

Each year, WEP brings global thought leaders and experts to KAUST for a series of lectures, panels, exhibitions and workshops, inspiring collaboration, innovation and passion. Khan said that the program demonstrates to KAUST students how their basic skills as scientists and engineers can lead to success beyond science and engineering. “It’s really important for students to be exposed to non-academic career tracks and real-world experiences.” 

Innovators empowered 

The WEP 2025 theme, “Outliers,” celebrated the exceptional in science and society. KAUST President Sir Edward Byrne AC said this co-curricular initiative encourages students to cultivate interdisciplinary knowledge to inspire bold innovation through exposure to global thought leaders, helping shape the next generation of resilient, groundbreaking future-shapers. “At a university like KAUST, outliers are more than anomalies. They are catalysts for change.” 

Featuring influential figures such as Nobel laureates, industry trendsetters, government ministers and successful alumni, WEP has been equipping future science and technology leaders since 2010 with the knowledge, skills and a global perspective needed to address challenges both in the Kingdom and around the world. 

Speaking at the “Environmental Outliers” panel discussion, H.H. Princess Noura bint Turki Al-Saud, co-founder of the Aeon Collective, praised KAUST for WEP, highlighting the role its sessions play in facilitating dynamic, cross-generational dialogue and emphasizing the need to connect academic learning with professional environments — key contemporary considerations. “So much is changing within the Saudi landscape and also in the global landscape.” 

Beyond traditional 

For Khan, who is also president of KAUST’s Saudi Arabian Alumni Chapter, his commitment to KAUST and its students is unwavering. Having faced the challenges of graduate school, he is dedicated to supporting alumni success and the University’s growth, which benefits a broader community. Khan noted how NEOM values KAUST graduates for their pioneering spirit. He sees enrichment initiatives such as WEP as essential to KAUST’s renowned reputation. 

Representing an important component of KAUST’s degree program, students must attend WEP to complete their studies. The annual two-week enrichment event explores themes beyond traditional classroom education, including by offering practical skills development and more abstract inspiration exercises. 

“We wanted to take you outside of your comfort zone, and we hope we succeeded in that,” said KAUST Marine Science Professor Michael Berumen, chair of WEP 2025. He explained how WEP provides broader content beyond the students’ specialized academic fields, encouraging all who participate to embrace diverse thinking for success in a complex world. “I know my horizons have been broadened, and I hope yours have as well.”